Ze watched the breaking news of that day, not surprised. Ze was a pessimist to put it mildly. There’s no way that the leader of a land dedicated to the peaceful transfer of power could question the validity of an election for a period of 2 months, and for his entire 4 years in office – among many tyrannical acts – encourage disunity; promote the brutalization of those who demanded inclusion and equality; and hold people, children in cages in camps and not expect an apocalyptic last few days of power.
The scene of the day unraveled: a woman shot then pronounced dead; broken glass; storming of a capital; representatives of the people spirited away for their own protection as the rebels waltzed in, taking pictures of their conquest, leaving their mark in handwritten notes on manilla envelopes. For all this moment stood for – the breaching of the nation’s capital – the real time response was pretty mild.
Ze could remember – for it was not that long ago – hearing tales of protests as people demanded that their water supply not be compromised disbursed by fire hoses, tear gas and rubber bullets; ze could remember the marches for black lives that were met with riot gear, rubber bullets, and tear gas; ze could remember the confrontation over $20 that ended up with one man’s knee in another man’s throat as he slowly lost access to his supply of air; ze could remember the jogging boy, gunned down by resident vigilanties.
Yet, as a nation, as the world viewed individuals mount a quasi-coup, insurrection, an act of treason against the land some claimed to love so much, the land some claimed to risk their lives for; as bombs were planted in the surrounding area; as chemicals were thrown at police officers, the response was not even remotely the same. When before you looked at good for nothing, unrelatable, others, did you in this act of true treason see someone you could relate to? Did you hold empathy for these vandals which caused you to hold your fire?
These are the same folks who would shoot up a night club because the participants were gay, who open fire on concert venues, who would plant a bomb on Christmas Day; these are the folks who would start a civil war starting with the taking of the capital and yet instead of treating them the same as those who ask for equal rights, their treated with the humanity and compassion that those same defenders of rights could only dream of.
Ze could only think that this, this right here, is why there is no trust for the police. You don’t have our backs, you don’t hold our hands when we demand an equality that would benefit us all. We are fighting for everyone, but it is our bodies that continue to line the protest streets while you send roses to those who would by force start a rebellion with military grade guns they refuse to give up because of a constitutional right.
When will we tire of keeping up an appearance of greatness while seeing past a history tainted by oppression and blood?
Caia Rose 